Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds and I'm not making any profit from this story.

Summary: Penelope's dog is special, she just hasn't realized how much yet.

Please R&R

Enjoy!

…

Penelope wrinkled her nose as she walked through the doors of her local animal shelter.

The antiseptic smell of cleaning solution and something else that was unidentifiable but very unpleasant practically hit her in the face as soon as her foot crossed the threshold.

Penelope took a moment to let her senses adjust before making her way towards the front desk.

A perky brunette, wearing a green tee and a huge smile, who Penelope guessed was little older than eighteen, greeted her enthusiastically.

"Hello there Ma'am," she said with an infectious grin "how can I help you today?"

Penelope smiled back at her, the girl's inviting attitude almost made up for the horrendous smell. "I was hoping to adopt a dog."

Amber's smile got impossibly wider "Oh goody, are dogs are always looking to go to their new and forever homes."

Penelope nodded "Well I've been thinking about it for a while and have finally decided now would be the perfect time to get a furry friend."

"That's great," Amber chimed "we have so many doggies that could make anyone an awesome companion. Now what you're going to want to do is go through that door there." Amber pointed to a large door just to Penelope's left. "In there you will find the Dog Room. Take your time as you look around and then once you've decided on the doggie that you think will make your next great companion, look for one of the staff. They will then sit you down and see whether the dog you picked is the right one for you. If everything goes well, you'll come back here, pay the donation fee, get your doggie micro-chipped, sign some papers and then you and your new best friend will be good to go."

Penelope nodded slowly, that was a lot to take in. She had been thinking that it would be easier however she was on a mission and nothing was going to stop her today. She had been thinking this decision over for the last month and she wasn't going to back out.

"Thank you," she said to Amber before turning and heading for the Dog Room.

As soon as she pushed the door open and walked in Penelope heard the barking and crying. There were cages upon cages, down one row and up the next, with on average more than one dog per cage.

Penelope felt like crying as she looked in at the dogs, some looking hopeful, others distant and sad.

She didn't know how she was going to choose. Would picking one dog be condemning another to death?

Penelope took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. She might not be able to save all these dogs but at least she'd be saving one life today.

Penelope took her time to look at all the dogs. Stopping to read their bios and watch their interactions as she approached.

There were a few other people in the room, most of them were huddled over by one cage that held a littler of eight week old Border Collie mix puppies.

Penelope had to admit they were adorable; however she didn't want a puppy. She knew that puppies always had a better chance of being adopted than the adult dogs, and she really wanted to give a dog that needed a second chance a home.

She was just trying to make up her mind over an energetic two year old Boston Terrier and a calm but loving four year old pointer mix, when she heard a whimper.

She looked down to the very last cage at the back of the room, one that she must have missed. There a slightly larger puppy than the Border Collies had its nose pressed up against the mesh wiring.

Penelope moved closer and picked up the puppy's clipboard with its bio on it.

It simply read:

No Name

72038135

Pit Bull/Labrador mix

Female

3 months

Penelope stared down at the puppy. "Hey there little girl," she said as she crouched to get a better look at her.

The puppy started wagging her tail. She had the soft tan coloring of a yellow lab all over except for a white marking on her muzzle.

Penelope wondered why no one was paying her any attention. She was just as cutes as the Collies, if not cuter.

"Hello Miss."

Penelope looked up to see a tall man with greying hair standing beside her.

"Have you come to a decision yet?" he asked.

Penelope straightened and looked at the man's name tag.

"Hi Ted," she said "I'm Penelope. I was just trying to decide between the Boston Terrier and the Pointer mix, but now I'm wondering why this little girl here isn't getting any attention?"

Ted sighed "She's part Pit Bull and she looks it too. Fortunately for her brothers and sisters they inherited their mother's looks and it was easy to find them homes. They all went at eight weeks of age, sadly for this girl Pits have gotten a bad rap and not many people are willing to take that on. It's a real shame too 'cause this girl is one of the sweetest pups I've ever known and she deserves a loving home."

Penelope felt tears threaten to fall again as she looked into the puppy's big brown eyes. She was sold. This pup was coming home with her.